Moving To Maryland---Towson or Fells Pt or ?? (Baltimore, Cockeysville: houses, neighborhoods)

[jonjj]

Originally Posted by nurider2002

You really need to spend a week or so visiting and just taking a day in different areas. Folks here tend to be somewhat biased, either very pro Baltimore City or very against. Both the city and surrounding areas have positives and negatives. I have lived in most parts of the city and several areas of Baltimore, Howard and Harford counties. Every place has a niche that may appeal to you and every place will have things you don't like. But it is subjective; what is right for you may be another person's worse nightmare and vice versa. Good luck with your search.

Amen! Even in the areas you mention, there may be good blocks or areas or not good blocks or areas--that goes for both Towson and Fells Point.

[driverA]

I dunno... I'm very new to Baltimore but I'm starting to think I should have moved to Towson instead of Baltimore city.

I hope I'm wrong but I just get the impression that there isn't really that much to do in Baltimore city to make it worth living here over a cheaper, safer, close-by suburb.

Fells has some hole in the wall bars and some decent restaurants. Harbor east is only like a 2 block long stretch and you could almost count the number of restaurants and shops there with one hand.

Towson has the mall, its safer, it has probably just as good restaurants, and you get a better quality apartment for the money you pay. I could have gotten a 2 bedroom in a high rise in Towson for 200 dollars cheaper than the 1 br I am paying for in Harbor East.

I walk around Little Italy at night and don't feel completely safe... and whats even the point of walking around there? It is completely dead after like 8 pm. Just like Harbor East and a lot of the neighborhoods except maybe Fells. I think thats the main thing. I've never lived in a city before that feels so dead so early in the evening. Its just not much fun.

[jonjj]

That is odd. Little Italy is probably one of the safest neighborhoods in the city and always has been; even when they shared their space with the projects which used to be right next to them. The police used to and I think many still do hang out around there.

Every city or situation is what you make of it. You can not expect to be "entertained". You have to entertain. I find Baltimore to be fine for me in terms of activities/things to do. On weekends, I enjoy biking around town, the Sunday market, walking along the waterfront, or visiting one of the neighborhoods. It doesn't have the constant go of a NYC or DC but then again, how many places actually do? I admit I am not much of a late-night partier though.

But, from your past posts, it reads to me that you may be happier in the burbs and hit the mall on a Saturday afternoon. You don't have to go to Towson for that. You can go to any burb in America for that. I am curious as to what other cities you have lived in.

[computerblue20]

Originally Posted by jonjj

That is odd. Little Italy is probably one of the safest neighborhoods in the city and always has been; even when they shared their space with the projects which used to be right next to them. The police used to and I think many still do hang out around there.

Every city or situation is what you make of it. You can not expect to be "entertained". You have to entertain. I find Baltimore to be fine for me in terms of activities/things to do. On weekends, I enjoy biking around town, the Sunday market, walking along the waterfront, or visiting one of the neighborhoods. It doesn't have the constant go of a NYC or DC but then again, how many places actually do? I admit I am not much of a late-night partier though.

But, from your past posts, it reads to me that you may be happier in the burbs and hit the mall on a Saturday afternoon. You don't have to go to Towson for that. You can go to any burb in America for that. I am curious as to what other cities you have lived in.

I’m going to agree with jonjj here. I’m sort of new to the city too and I have found Baltimore to be exactly what it should be--a mid-sized city with a host of problems due to a number of economic factors. Because Baltimore is national laggard in job creation (hence why we have four guys manning a garbage truck that can probably only hold about a neighborhood’s worth of trash and why we have the comical “traffic” police during rush hour in the Harbor), it almost by definition cannot be vibrant. Few people have reasons to move here. Assuming that you’re in your 20s, I would imagine that most of the people that you have met socially are from the area. Baltimore is their home and they have chosen to settle down here precisely because the lifestyle suits them. If they were club hoppers or people who needed access to a diverse range of cultural activities, they would be living somewhere else. Overall, there just aren’t enough young people with good jobs and money living in the city. It’s dead on pretty much any weekday because the suburbanites are busy working and don’t have the time to go out. You should have been somewhat aware of this fact before moving here, although I will concede that, if you are an outsider, the magnitude of this city’s problems can really only be experienced first hand.

Yes, Towson has a mall just like a number of area suburbs. Yes, it is safer than many Baltimore neighborhoods. Yes, your housing costs would be cheaper, although an analysis of the extra time spent and gas used during your longer work commute may make that $200 savings seem less attractive, especially since you’d probably buy more stuff if you lived 5 minutes away from a mall instead of 30 minutes away. It sucks that you’re not having much fun here. But please just chalk it up to a misalignment of your interests versus Baltimore’s offerings instead of going over the same ground that everyone here is familiar with (crime, lack of attractive cultural offerings, relatively crappy nightlife). You can either move somewhere else or continue to try to find ways to make Baltimore work for you.

I caution every single, unattached person who thinks that Baltimore County can offer them all of the things Baltimore can’t to take a step back and ask themselves, “How different can a suburb be if its existence depends upon being 30 minutes away from a city that you dislike?” Unless you want to relive your college years or are in school, I don’t think that the answer is automatically “very different.”

[driverA]

I've lived in a number of big cities in the past.

I don't expect Baltimore to compare to any of those cities in terms of entertainment and such, but I guess I've always expected any city to have a main street where things are going on, and there is stuff to see and do.

I feel like Baltimore doesn't really have that expect for the Inner Harbor, which is more touristy than a real "main street". I guess you could say Fells, but where are the shopping districts and museums and stuff?

Again, I'm still new here so I could be off, but I feel like Towson has more stuff to do for yuppies who want to walk around and do some shopping and eating than B'more does.

Also, I moved here for training/ work at Johns Hopkins hospital, the best hospital in the world. I was going to come here regardless, but I also want to enjoy my time in Baltimore.

[jonjj]

Walking around Towson? Who does that? Whenever I am up there, I hardly ever see anyone walking.
Or, do you mean driving to the mall and then walking?

Baltimore has limited shopping, but I can get anything I need or want in the city without having to go to the burbs. If you just want to walk and people watch, take a walk up Charles, walk over to Federal Hill and South Charles or Light. Walk to Fells Point. Walk up to Canton and along O'Donnell Street. If I need a suit for work, I head downtown.

Again, Baltimore is no NYC. It's no DC or Boston or a few other places. But it certainly has more options than most cities. Take a stroll in Cleveland. Take a stroll in Houston. Or a nice howdy-doody walk in Phoenix. I don't need to go on.

I know you are new to town, but maybe do some investigations. Museums would be a good place to start.

[jonjj]

Walkscore City Rankings

By the way, Baltimore is ranked 12th in the country in terms of walkability and things to do. That sure beats a lot of other cities. I think you need to get out a bit more and investigate your new surroundings.

[rudy_d]

Originally Posted by computerblue20

I’m going to agree with jonjj here. I’m sort of new to the city too and I have found Baltimore to be exactly what it should be--a mid-sized city with a host of problems due to a number of economic factors. Because Baltimore is national laggard in job creation (hence why we have four guys manning a garbage truck that can probably only hold about a neighborhood’s worth of trash and why we have the comical “traffic” police during rush hour in the Harbor), it almost by definition cannot be vibrant. Few people have reasons to move here. Assuming that you’re in your 20s, I would imagine that most of the people that you have met socially are from the area. Baltimore is their home and they have chosen to settle down here precisely because the lifestyle suits them. If they were club hoppers or people who needed access to a diverse range of cultural activities, they would be living somewhere else. Overall, there just aren’t enough young people with good jobs and money living in the city. It’s dead on pretty much any weekday because the suburbanites are busy working and don’t have the time to go out. You should have been somewhat aware of this fact before moving here, although I will concede that, if you are an outsider, the magnitude of this city’s problems can really only be experienced first hand.

Yes, Towson has a mall just like a number of area suburbs. Yes, it is safer than many Baltimore neighborhoods. Yes, your housing costs would be cheaper, although an analysis of the extra time spent and gas used during your longer work commute may make that $200 savings seem less attractive, especially since you’d probably buy more stuff if you lived 5 minutes away from a mall instead of 30 minutes away. It sucks that you’re not having much fun here. But please just chalk it up to a misalignment of your interests versus Baltimore’s offerings instead of going over the same ground that everyone here is familiar with (crime, lack of attractive cultural offerings, relatively crappy nightlife). You can either move somewhere else or continue to try to find ways to make Baltimore work for you.

I caution every single, unattached person who thinks that Baltimore County can offer them all of the things Baltimore can’t to take a step back and ask themselves, “How different can a suburb be if its existence depends upon being 30 minutes away from a city that you dislike?” Unless you want to relive your college years or are in school, I don’t think that the answer is automatically “very different.”

I agree with some of what you say, but a "national laggard for job creation"? Maybe 10-20 years ago. Baltimore is doing considerably better economically than the rest of the country at the moment and was recently ranked #2 in available jobs to nearby D.C. Me and most of the people I hang out and work with moved here from somewhere else. (And what does the number of sanitation workers on a truck have to do with anything?).

[computerblue20]

Originally Posted by rudy_d

I agree with some of what you say, but a "national laggard for job creation"? Maybe 10-20 years ago. Baltimore is doing considerably better economically than the rest of the country at the moment and was recently ranked #2 in available jobs to nearby D.C. Me and most of the people I hang out and work with moved here from somewhere else. (And what does the number of sanitation workers on a truck have to do with anything?).

This city has a 25% poverty rate, so those roughly 1 in 4 working age people who are dead broke probably wouldn't agree with you. If there were a bunch of jobs out there for people, then you wouldn't see a blatant misuse of taxpayer funds in the form of redundant hiring for public sector positions, meaning that those extra garbage men and traffic cops would be doing something else.

[rudy_d]

Originally Posted by computerblue20

This city has a 25% poverty rate, so those roughly 1 in 4 working age people who are dead broke probably wouldn't agree with you. If there were a bunch of jobs out there for people, then you wouldn't see a blatant misuse of taxpayer funds in the form of redundant hiring for public sector positions. If there were enough jobs to go around, then those extra garbage men and traffic cops would be doing something else.

Extra garbage men and traffic cops? Baltimore has a shortage of both. The city has a hiring freeze and is in the process of laying more people off. There's talk of getting rid of bulk trash service to save money, a big mistake in my opinion.

It doesn't excuse Baltimore, but every large U.S. city has a high poverty rate. Baltimore has a high concentration of it in certain areas, but if you factor in the entire metropolitan area, as many other cities do when compiling their statistics, even that stat isn't as bad as it appears. Incomes in the area are high and there are jobs available here, unlike in many other cities--unfortunately many don't qualify due to an inadequate education or a criminal record. That's a completely different topic that doesn't have much to do with Towson or Fells Point.